The Companions

The reader is presented with the everyday life of a sanitary train, which from 1941 to 1945 transported the wounded from the front to rear hospitals. The daily life of absolutely different people: the silent intellectual Belov, the selfish Suprugov, the brave Lena Ogorodnikova, the professionally cold Yulia Dmitrievna, the kind Faina, and many others. Each with their own destiny, their own sorrows, weaknesses, and life principles. The train and the duty to the Motherland made them companions on the roads of war. To write this book, Vera Panova spent two months on a sanitary train, witnessing the important work of those who, although not on the front lines, contributed to Victory by saving the lives of the wounded. "The Companions" has been adapted for film twice; it is beloved by all in the films "The Mercy Train" by Iskander Khamekhaev and "For the Rest of Life" by Petr Fomenko.